311: Roman Emperor Galerius issues the Edict of Toleration, ending the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire

711: Islamic conquest of Iberia: Moorish troops led by Tariq ibn Ziyad land at Gibraltar to begin their invasion of the Iberian Peninsula (Al-Andalus)

1562: Jean Ribault and colonists arrive in Florida, the first French colonists in North America

1789: George Washington is inaugurated as the first President of the United States of America at Federal Hall in NYC

1859: Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities” is first published in the literary periodical “All the Year Round” in weekly installments until November 26

2009: Chrysler automobile company files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

Source: Onthisday.com